Cooling system and refrigerator therefor



Feb. 21, 1928.

J. SCHULDE COOLING SYSTEM AND REFRIGERATOR THEREFOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 9, 1921 In Vania/l (/0727? cfzaZaa fittornay. Y

J. SCHULDE COOLING SYSTEM AND REFRIGERATOR THEREFOR Filed Seioi. 9, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 1/5/22? Saba/42 a Egg/m7 iior'mey.

Feb. 21, 1928. 1,660,138

' J. SCHULDE COOLING SYSTEM AND REFRIGERATOR THEREFOR Filed Sept. 9, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheefl k Flag.

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Patented Feb. 21, T928.

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UNITED STATES JOHN SOHULDE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO. HARBY'L. HUS SHANE 31-.

FBIGEBATOB COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI.

COOLING SYSTEM AND REFRIGERATOR THEREFOR.

Application filed September 9, 1921. 7 Serial No.'499,531.

My invention has relation to improvements in cooling systems and refrigerators therefor; and consists in the novel features more fully set forth in the specification andpointed. out in the claims.

The object of the present invention is to rovide a cooling system and refrigerator or practicing the same wherein a lower temperature may be maintained than is now the case, for preserving perishable supplies such as meat and produce. A further object is to secure a low temperature in the refrigerator by means of block ice and salt in contradistinction to cracked ice, the resulting brine being circulated in the refrigerator. Another object is to provide a system of refrigeration that will realize a greater economy of ice than the present cracked ice methods. Other advantages will be better apparent from a detailed description of the invention in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of my 1mproved refrigerator with parts of the front wall broken away; Figure 2 is a horizontal lon itudinal section on the zigzag line 22 of ig. 1; Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section on the line 3-3 ofFig. 1; Fig. 4 is a horizontal' section through one end of the refrigerator showin the salt-shaker in plan; Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section through one of the brine circulating pans in the bottom of the'provision compartment of the refrigerator; Fig. 6 is a sectional detail of the brine tubes and. circulation pan; Fig. 7 is an enlarged section of a part of the salt holder and agitator similar to that shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a modified form of the invention showing a fan applied to the ice-chamber-for forcing the circulation of cold air.

Referring to the drawings, R represents an ice-box or refrigerator, the end walls w, w, top If, and bottom I) of. which are provided with an insulation space filled with a suitable insulating material such as mineral wool or hair. The front wall a is provided with a glass panel 1 in front of the storage section A of the box in which are disposed a series of trays 2, While the rear wall a is provided with an ice-door 3 and a provision door 4 (of which there may be any number),

the ice-door opening into the ice compartstructure thus far referred to is well understood in the art and requires no detail description; The novelty of the present invention resides in the method and apparatus for cooling the provision compartment whereby'block ice and salt are used to obtain the desired temperature instead of cracked ice. Secured to the front and rear walls a, a in the ice compartment B are angles 5, 5, and extending across said compartment and fixed to the angles 5, 5 are angles'6, 6. Angles 5, .5, 6, 6, constitute a supporting frame for the ice platform and salt brine receptacles (about to be described) said frame being raised above the bottom- I) and being in substantially the same hori zontal plane as the bottom of the ice-door 3. A tank 7 of slightly smaller areathan that of the ice compartment B is supported there- .in by the angles 5, 5, the side walls of the tank being provided with flanges 7 7 which rest on the angles 5, 5, the bottom of the tank being spaceda-ishort distance above the floor of the ice-compartment and having cold-air flues 8 projecting upwardly therefrom, said flues communicating with were? chamber B. A partition 9 extends longitu-- dinally through the middle of the tank 7, di-f viding it into two sections, and an overflow. spout 10 leads from bothsections of the tank and projects into the provision compartment a short distance, said spout discharging the brine that overflows from the tank 7 into a two-way trough 11 from which the brine runs into conduits 12, 12 extending longitudinally through the provision compartment, sai conduits having openings 0, 0 at the inlet and outlet ends respectively, and outlet pipes 13, 13 at the outlet ends through which the brine ultimately discharges into a sump 14 and drain 15 over which there is a tra 16. A series of brine tubes 17 are pivotally mounted on pintles 18, 18 at the closed ends of each tube between end plates 19, 19, said end 'plates having horizontally projecting flanges 19', 191 at their upper edges, which. flanges rest on the angles 6, 6 to support the tubes, Also supported on the angles 6, 6 and resting directly on the flanges 19', 19' of the end plates 19, 19 is a distributing pan 20 which receives the brine from the melting ice and discharges it through a series of slots 8 into the brine tubes 17, each of which is provided with a longitudinally disposed slot 0 through which the brine enters the tube. A platform 21 composed of juxtaposed slats rests directly on the pan 20 and the blocks of 'ice are supported on the platform which is in substantiallythe same plane as the bottom of the ice-door opening. 7 At one end of each tube 17 is an overflow pipe 17' through which the brine discharges into one end of the tank 7. Secured to the inside of the top wall of the refrigerator and extending transversely across the ice-chamber B are a pair of channels 22, 22 opening toward each other and spaced apart nearly the width of said chamber, said channels receiving between them the salt holder 23, the side walls 24, 24 which are Z-shaped, the upper horizontal bars 24, 24 of the walls 24, 24

' being adapted to slide in the channels 22,

22. The salt holder 23 has a screen bottom 30 25 of a mesh to per'mit'the salt to. pass through slowly when it is agitated, said screen being supported at intervals by stiffening ribs 26 extending from one end of the holder to the other. A pair of rods 27, 27

25 are secured in the end walls of the holder and extend across the inside thereof, and a frame consisting of-a pair of tubular bars 28, 28 secured to a series of cross bars 29 is slidingly mounted on the rods 27, 27 the 30 latter traversing the tubular bars 28, 28.

' The bars 28, 28 and 29, 29 together constitute the salt agitator. Attached to the bars 29 is a bar 30 extending rearwardly and passing through the rear wall a over, the

door 3, said bar terminating in a handle 31 whereby the frame may be reciprocated in the salt holder 23 to agitate the salt and cause the same to be sprinkled over the ice C. A lever 32 is pivotall mounted in a bracket 33 fixed on the w l a to one side of the salt holder 23, the long arm of said lever having a slotted connection with the bar 30 and the short arm of the lever terminating in a cushioned knob 34 against which the door 4 impinges when closed to oscillate the lever 32 and pull the salt agitator forward. When the door 4 is opened the long arm of the lever 32 will be pulled back under the influence of a coiled spring 35, one end of which is attached to said'arm, the other This residue is preferably chipped into sma l pieces and charged into a chipped ice receptacle 37 supported on the platform 21 ad a cent to the storage compartment A, said receptacle having within it a series of lines 38 covered by cowls, 39 around which the chipped ice C is packed and through which the cooled air passes into the storage com- After the same has circulated:

near the bottom,'the latter ope 5 We will assume that the compartment B I is provided with ice C and the previous charge of ice has been chipped andiplace in the receptacle 37. The salt agitator may now be operated by the bar 30 or merely by the door 4 as the door is opened and closed in the regular course of business. The re ciprocation of the agitator causes the salt to shake down on the'ice, melting the same and producing brine, which runs down the distributor, and passes through the slots 8 into the tubes 17. After said tubes are full the brine flows through the pipes 17 into the tank 7 rising to the level of line a: (Fig. 6) therein, and then discharging through the overflow s out 10 onto the trough 11 and into condu1ts12, 12. The atmosphere in the ice-chamber is considerably cooled by the brine as it fills the tubes 17 and tank 7 and the atmosphere in the storage compartment is cooled by influxes of cold air from the ice compartment. Also the conduits 12 being full of cold brine will impart their temperature to the air around them in the storage compartment, thus lowering the temperature therein. As the various complements of cold air have warmed they will obviously be forced away from the ice-compartment, and will rise near the outer end of the storage compartment and enter the space between the top It and a\baflle 3 through which the warm air. returns to the ice-compartment for cooling. Thus a circulation is created from one end of the refrigerator to the other, the cold air being in contact with the provisions in the storage compartment and ing the ice, a salt holder above said platform, means for dischargingthe salt from said holder onto the ice, brine circulating holder onto the ice, a brine collecting tank below said platform, and suitable fiues in said tank to permit free circulation of air therethrough. g

3. In a refrigerator provided with an ice compartment and a storage compartment, a platform in the ice compartment for receivthe ice, a salt holder above said platform, means for discharging the salt from said holder onto the ice, a brine collecting tank below said platform, suitable flues in said tank to permit free circulation of air therethrough, and a brine circulating conduit in the storage compartment.

4. In a refrigerator provided with an ice compartment and a storage compartment, :2 platform in the ice compartment for receiving the ice, a salt holder above said platform means for discharging the salt from sai holder onto the ice, brine circulating tubes pivotally mounted below the platform, said tubes being provided with overflow pipes for discharging the brine.

5. In a refrigerator provided with an ice compartment and a storage compartment, a platform in the ice compartment for receiving the ice, a salt holder above said platform means for discharging the salt from sai holder onto the ice, a brine distributor below the latform, brine circulating tubes below the istributor for receiving the brine therefrom, and a brine collecting tank below said tubes for receivin the overflow from said tubes, said tank being provided with an outlet for the brine.

6. In a refrigerator provided with an ice compartment and a storage compartment, 9. platform in the ice compartment for receivmg the ice, a salt holder above said platform, means operable by a door for agitating the salt in the holder to discharge the same, and means below the ice the brine.

7. In a refrigerator provided with an ice compartment and a storage compartment, a

platform in the ice comdpartment for receivmg the ice, a salt hol er above said platform, a'shaker within said holder adapted to be operated for discharging saltfrom said .holder onto the ice, and means in the ice compartment for collecting the brine.

platform for collecting 8. In a show case refri erator having a provision compartment an an ice compartment at one end thereof, a platform in said ice compartment adapted to receive block ice, means for depositing salt on the block ice on saidsupport, a drip pan below said support, and a brin container extending along the bottom of sand provision compartment and adapted to receive brine from said drip pan, constructed and arranged to promote circulation of cooling air through said rovision compartment.

9. n a show case refri erator havinga provision compartment an an ice compartment at one end thereof, a support in said ice compartment adapted to receive block ice, means for salting the ice on said support, and a cracked-ice container in said ice compartment, constructed and arranged to promote circulation of cooling air through said provision compartment.

' 10. In a show case refri erator having a provision compartment an an ice compartment at one end thereof a platform in said ice com artment adapted to. receive block ice, means or depositing salt on the block ice on said support, a drip pan adapted for circulation of air therethrough below said so port, adapted to promote a circulation of air downwar ly through said ice compartment and said dri pan.

11. In a s ow case refrigerator having a provsion compartment and an ice compartment at one end thereof, a support in said ice compartment ada ted to receive block ice, means for salting t e ice' on said sup ort, a dri pan adapted for circulation of air theret rough below said support, and a cracked-ice container ositioned so as to said rip pan.

12. In a refrigerator having an ice compartment, a platform for supporting salted ice in said compartment, an a salt receiver supported above the ice on said platform and adapted to sprinkle the salt on the ice.

13. In a refrigerator having an Ice compartment, a platform for supporting salted ice in said compartment an perforated to drain the brine therefrom, and a salt receiver sizpported above the. ice on said platform an adapted to sprinkle the salt on the we.

14. In a refrigerator having an ice compartment, a platform for supporting salted ice in said compartment, a salt receiver supported above the ice on said platform and adapted to sprinkle the salt on the ice, and a dri pan for receiving the brine.

testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

JOHN sominnn. 

